Nearby Theaters

The Salone Margherita may be the most beautiful theatre in Rome. This jewel box opened in 1898 as a “cafe' chantant” or music hall theater and was named in honor of Margherita di Savoia, Italy’s first queen, the wife of the then-current monarch, Umberto I. It describes itself as being in the “liberty style” of post-unification Italy, which exuded a kind of grandiose but intimate “belle epoque” plushness. (The theatre’s website includes a marvelous 360-degree view of the auditorium which has seating in orchestra and balcony levels.)

Over its initial decades, the theatre showcased some of the most famous class-act variety performers of the era, including the comics Pasquariello and Petrolini. It was used at times as an art-house type cinema, often filling in the periods between stage engagements.

It is now considered one of Rome’s most important venues for live theatre. The theatre, which has been declared “a monument of national interest” by the Italian government, is located just a short distance down the street from the famous Spanish Steps.